Poll: Should Colonie Councilman Dan Dustin resign?

Tim O’Brien and Carol DeMare report today that the man apparently on the receiving end of Colonie Town Board member Dan Dustin’s racially-tinged tirade says Dustin has apologized and that he wants the town to drop its investigation.

We say apparently (and not allegedly) because neither Dustin nor the other man, H. Paul Thomas, have refuted the allegation — first aired in a letter to the town from Thomas’ wife — that Dustin lobbed a racial slur at Thomas earlier this month at Mill Road Acres Golf Course.

The town says it will drop its investigation of Dustin, the lone Republican on the Town Board, but Supervisor Paula Mahan says he should still resign.

Forget about the Town Board. The people will decide that next election. If Mr. Dustin chooses to resign that is his decision not the phony Ms. Mahan.
I am more concerned about his high level position with the New york State Education Department. He is the Executive Secretary for the State Board of Public Accountancy. He just lost all credibility with licensed professionals. He also works with many minorities. Do you think they now respect him?

Dan certainly enjoys the benefits of public employment, pulling in way more than $100K from the state and more than $20K as a town board member (yes, town board is a PAID position).

Both jobs require him to take certain training in such subjects as diversity, ethics, and sexual harrassment. Therefore, he should know better but this incident shows he does not.

Current events, coupled with his (in my opinion) inability to “play nice” with his colleagues on the town board, clearly call into question his fitness to serve. If he does not publicly apologize for this incident, if he does not intend to mend his ways, then he needs to step down.

In closing I must point out that neither Mr. Dustin, nor the Colonie GOP, has yet responded publicly to this incident. Their silence speaks volumes.

I’m against racism, if you noticed my posts about Paladino. But this doesn’t rise to the level of Paladino. Paladino did not apologize to anyone for his racist, sexist e-mails, because he says they’re funny, and amazingly enough, many people couldn’t care less. A lot of people seem to care a whole lot more about this one. Yet Dustin did apologize to the man who may have needed to hear the apology, and that man, the most important person to cast judgement, as far as I am concerned, has forgiven him. From everything else we’ve read, it sounds like he’s over it. Can’t everyone else move past it as well? Or do we not allow people to make mistakes and learn from them? We’re all human. We all make mistakes. All of us know this. Why do we choose to forget it when politics comes into the mix? The answer is simple: it’s because we decide it’s to our advantage to forget someone is a human being.

Furthermore, here are additional points to consider. 1. Dustin and Thomas are friends. ( I mistakenly referred to as Thomas as Halpin earlier. I didn’t read the article carefully enough and automaticly assumed he and his wife had the same last name.) Doesn’t anyone Involved in Dustin’s public chastisement know how hard it is to find a friend, just one person you can connect with and share life with? Doesn’t anyone realize their friendship has been tested, and that even though they are trying to keep it, the call for Dustin to resign may eventually ruin it? Does anyone care about putting that kind of hurt into two people’s lives– probably three people’s— because this will undoubtedly effect Thomas’s wife by spilling into their marriage.
2. Doesn’t anyone calling for his head consider it important that Dustin apologized? The public official who commits wrong doing and does not see it as enough of a problem to apologize is a danger to the community and should not serve the public. But the one who does make a mistake, apologizes, and makes ammends– Dan
Dustin– isn’t a danger to the community.
3. Some of you are pretending he did not apologize and therefore should leave. Assumptions are a problem when you deal with facts. Anything sounds plausible
unless you let the facts stand in your way.

Mr. Thomas handled this matter with the ultimate measure of class and dignity. WHy should a man’s life be ruined for a moment of indiscretion? He among us who is without sin should cast the first stone. If the two parties involved are okay with it – BACK OFF MAHAN!!! You’ve wasted enough of our tax money already!

This is crazy, we have an elected man saying comments reserved for the uneducated and we think its a private matter. HELLO MR DUSTIN are you out there. This guy is saying nothing and leaving all of us to wonder what the heck he was doing. What a sham, the spinners are making out like the victims (residents) should be apologizing to him. How sad is this.
Rosa Parks should have just said sure I accept your apology and all would have been forgiven.

Dan was wrong but you must understand that Joe and Paula Mahan and their democratic counterparts are extremely vindictive people who feel it necessary to rid the Town of Republicans because they still have a deep hatred for Harry D’Agostino. The reason this is so is because when Joe Mahan and his wife were Republicans (yes they were, not that long ago and very active ones at that) they felt Harry shunned them. They couldn’t get on the republican ticket so they switched to Democrat just to get into Town hall. Now they are on a rampage firing every civil servant and appointee that they possibly can and replacing them slowly and steadily with their own.

There is no excuse for saying the words Mr. Dustin ADMITTED he said. I ask all of you, have these words ever come out of your mouths?? I find it incredibly distressing that there are people out there defending Mr. Dustin for saying these words. With statements like “people make mistakes” and “those who cast the first stone”. I suggest if you believe this is a forgiveable offense, that you write on this blog EXACTLY THE SAME WORDS Mr. Dustin admitted he said twice, and then sign your name, telephone and email to them (Colonie Town Board members contact information is public). Only then we will prove that this is no big deal and a totally forgiveable offense, because you will own up to them too.

@bea haven – I have never in my life had a “moment of indiscretion” that involved racial slurs said twice to another human being. I guess this must happen to you all the time. But no bigs for you I guess because it’s only a “moment”, I mean, how could a moment ever hurt another person? Much less an entire population by an elected official he is supposed to be representing???

This is just ridiculous. Is Dustin really the kind of man you want representing the Town? How do you think minorities in the Town of Colonie feel now? Do you think they trust Dustin to make good decisions on their behalf? How can he deal rationally and appropriately with the minorities (or anyone) in this Town when he can’t even refrain from making racist slurs against his own friends? And lets not forget that he’s not even owning up to this – he hasn’t made ANY admission/denial at all. No comment whatsoever.

And yes, I will throw this stone. I have never, in my life, used a racist slur. I was raised far better than that, and I believe that all people deserve respect. Clearly Dustin does not.

WOW – is it possible that as a community Colonie is condoning this kind of bigotry – where is the out cry from the residents? For that matter, where is Alice Green or any of 1000 people in the area who respect and understand why civil liberties were ever needed to be defined in the first place? A ‘private matter’ in a public setting like a golf course – once a bastion of bigotry and intolerance that we have spent years trying to change!

And, Mr Thomas, shame on you – don’t be embarrassed that someone called you a terrible name! Rosa Parks was a tiny little old lady but she stood true to her convictions and made the establishment and all the good citizens see just how HORRIBLE discrimination is – even though it meant physical harm to herself.

I understand that Mr Dustin holds a number of high ranking positions that deal with minorities. Please Mr Dustin, have the decency to do the right thing here. A ‘private matter’ is 2 people in a domestic dispute not an elected official spewing racial slurs in a public venue and we all know that.

As for all who are citing his apology as “enough” remember that remorse for an action usually involves sadness at one’s being caught more often than it does for one’s actions.

ridiculous…….you are a liar!!!!!!!!! Flat out! A liar!!! Are you so stupid you don’t know that he has apologized and then the apology has been accepted?? Wow, talk about being raised better….nice try!
Mew Supervisor needed….Inquire within.

I can not believe so many who believe Mr. Dustin should resign. I am so sick and tired of hearing people who think the ‘n’ word is the ONLY disgusting word in the English language. Why are the African American people and other minorities so annointed that we have to ‘walk around on egg shells so we don’t offend them’ What about ALL people no matter what their race or ethnicity. I have read,especially these political blogs, so much name calling for instance stupid, idiot, liar,etc and other accusations. How about we ask all the Dems in the town of Colonie who are asking for the resignation of Mr. Dustin to resign from their positions in the workforce if they have ever used a degrading name for another human being. As human beings we all deserve respect. And remember that old saying, when you are pointing one finger at another,two fingers are pointing back at you. And another issue, maybe Mr. Thomas should resign as President of his golf club. His ridicule of a member of the club is unprofessional to say the least. So if the law was called in to settle a dispute between individuals, their job would be to find out ‘who threw the first punch’. But personally I beieve Mr. Thomas is quite a man for being able to forgive and forget and also Mr. Dustin for accepting his friends apologyfor his insenstive comments. Rather than condemning one party,maybe we all should learn something from this.

So to everyone remember the next time you call a acquaintance a vile name, it is just as mean, hurtful and unkind as the ‘n’ work for our african-american friends.

I really want to cast my vote on this question, but I don’t see a “vote” button anywhere. Could it be a problem with Internet Explorer 8? Whatever the cause, don’t put a lot of time into it. Just put me down as a very loud “YES” vote.

PS – If he’s the best the Colonie GOP has to offer, then Paula Mahan has no worries about her future as Supervisor.

What words–not actions, just words–are automatically grounds for expulsion from public office? I get that “nigger” is a horrific word historically, but is it the only racial epithet that would cause many here to call for Dustin’s removal from office?

Are there other, non-racial words? Or is race the only button that, once pushed, remains forever in play?

Elmer your kidding right? Hurtful words have caused children to commit suicide. Words are what Martin Luther King used to create a revolution for equility. The Declaration of Independence is just words that created our country. Most importantly on point it the words Rosa Parks used on a bus.
Words, Elmer are as important as any actions. We build our country on words spoken and then we hope the right actions are taken.
These words were spoken by an elected official and someone who has influence in the community. His words carry more then some others of us who do not determine the future of a community.
He did not say them in a private conversation between two people and the fact of the matter is if he gets away with this then those who did witness it will be more intimidated by those in political office.

I understand that they now feel it was a private moment and an appology was issued after Mr. Dustin became aware that a complaint was made against him, but this doesn’t change the facts. It was not a private moment but it was among a group of people that are part of the golf league. They all heard it so it can’t be that private. Also the person it was said to felt it was bad enough to tell his wife about it afterwards. If this doesn’t warrant a resignation then at the very least there should be a public appology.
I wonder if the State Education Department with all of its diversity training is going to do anything to a person who is charged with going out into the community to recruit minorities into the various professions regulated by the department or will they just ignore the problem like always.